Where Wolves Fear to Prey
by SassySnow1988
Summary: Evil Tuesday Tumblr Prompt Ficlet for Operaballerina. AU. Somehow before the curse hit, Snow was badly hurt (childbirth possibly), so in SB, she's the one in the coma. Alternate take on the Pilot. Spoilers through "Welcome to Storybrooke." ANGST, my lovelies.


**Where Wolves Fear to Prey**

**A/N: **For Operaballerina, Evil Tuesday Tumblr Prompt Ficlet. Alternate take on the Pilot. Spoilers through "Welcome to Storybrooke."

**Prompt: **AU. Somehow before the curse hit, Snow was badly hurt (childbirth possibly), so in SB, she's the one in the coma.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still don't own anything—unless eyestrain and exhaustion qualify—just doing my time for being a little evil. ;-}

**Rating: **Teen (violence and language)

**Special Thanks: KayleeThePete**, the BEST beta ever. How I lucked out with you, I will never know, but you, my dartie, get all the praise.

**Written While Under the Influence of: **Breaking Benjamin-I Will Not Bow, Florence + the Machine-Seven Devils, Mumford and Sons-Reminder, and Mat Kearney-All I Need.

_"Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey."_

_—Lord Byron_

The cold sword burned as it pierced his side, Charming noted distantly, the room swimming around him. Sweat and blood trickled down his chest and all he wanted to do was collapse on the floor and let oblivion claim him, but one name pounded through his head louder than the frantic pulse in his ears.

_Emma_.

_His daughter_. His tiny, newborn daughter was in the wardrobe at his back and these knights, Regina's men, were here to take her. But he was a father now, and stronger than pain, than exhaustion, even than death, was the innate paternal instinct to protect his child. These men may kill him, but he'd damn well be taking them with him.

Charming gripped the blade in his side with one hand and raised his sword with the other, running the second knight through. The first knight tugged at his sword and even though Charming couldn't see his face, he could feel the man's disbelief as the prince continued to fight. The knight's sword sliced his palm as it pulled free of his side and Charming forced his sluggish body to parry the next blow. He rushed the black-clad knight, sending the two of them crashing into a bookcase, and they struggled on the floor until Charming managed to bring his sword up and drive it back down into the knight's chest.

The prince panted as he shoved himself upright and stumbled to the wardrobe, smearing his own blood across the intricately carved wood as he yanked the doors open, relief and loss mingling in his gut when he found it empty. His daughter was safe. Charming clenched his eyes shut as pain seared through him, not just from the physical wounds but the knowledge that he wouldn't see Emma again for twenty-eight years. Tears slipped down his cheeks and he almost let himself collapse on the floor. _Almost_.

_Snow_.

The curse was coming and he wanted to be with her when it did, to spend a few more moments with the woman he loved before her stepmother tore them apart for nearly three decades. Charming gritted his teeth as he used his sword to get to his feet and limped from the nursery, trailing blood in his wake.

XXX

Snow's sobs had finally quieted, but the gaping hole that sending her baby away had ripped in her heart was still there and would remain for the next twenty-eight years, until the moment she had Emma in her arms again. She could hear the distant sounds of fighting and every so often a scream echoed through the stone halls of the castle. Snow swiped a hand across her tear-stained cheeks and pushed herself upright, white hot pain slicing through her belly with the movement. Doc had told her not to move while he went to find his brothers; they would take her to safety when he returned, but she couldn't wait.

Charming was out there somewhere, fighting his way to the wardrobe and she had to find him. Had to make sure he was all right, had to make sure Emma was safe. But selfishly, Snow needed Charming with her right now. The world was falling apart around them and she needed her husband to keep her from falling apart with it.

Her legs felt like rubber as she struggled free of the blankets and crashed to the floor, a howl of agony tearing past her lips. Snow tried to rise onto her knees but her legs were still too weak to support her and she fell back to the floor. A dark stain seeped across her dress and she tugged the cloth aside, watching a pool of blood rapidly grow on the stones between her thighs.

"Doc?" she called weakly, eyelashes fluttering. Snow fought to remain conscious as she dragged herself across the floor, darkness encroaching on her vision. She heard footsteps in the hall and cried as loudly as she could, "Charming?"

"Afraid not, dear."

Snow's heart lurched at the familiar voice and she tried to look up, but her body failed her, collapsing instead on the cold stones.

XXX

Charming made it back to the bedchamber he shared with Snow on pure adrenaline, sword still in hand but using it more to keep himself upright than anything else. The sight that met him there nearly made his legs give out under him: Snow lying unconscious on the floor, a scarlet stain spreading across the stones between her legs, and Regina standing at the foot of the bed, just watching her with a wide grin.

"No! No! No!" He staggered to Snow, one hand clamped over the bleeding wound in his own side as he dropped to the floor, knees connecting painfully with the stones but he didn't care. "What the hell have you done to her?!" Charming demanded, blue eyes boring into the Evil Queen as he scooped his wife's limp form into his arms.

"This," Regina pointed a black-tipped finger at the blood on the floor, "I can't take credit for. That would be the screaming baby she gave birth to. Do you know how many mothers never survive childbirth?" She quirked her head to the side as if it were a genuine question but he could see the pure relish on her face. "Speaking of screaming babies, where is my step-granddaughter?"

"Gone," he bit out, gathering Snow protectively to his chest. "Somewhere safe, until she's able to break your curse." He glared up at Regina, a defiant smile twisting his lips.

The Queen's dark eyes narrowed and her lips tightened, but she merely lifted an eyebrow and replied, "We'll see about that."

Charming tore his gaze from hers and gently tried to wake Snow, but she was unresponsive in his arms, skin ashen and cold. "Doc!" he shouted down the hallway, ignoring Regina as best he could.

"No need for that, sweet prince," she interrupted, gleefully regarding his distress. "I have no intention of letting her die. Death would be _far_ too easy. No, I have a much better fate in mind for her, and you as well." Her crimson lips curled into a smirk at the ominous crack of the stone walls and shattering of glass.

"What are you going to do to her?"

"I'm going to put her back where she belongs, in an eternal sleep. Only this time you won't be there to save her. In a few moments you won't remember you knew her, let alone loved her."

Green smoke rushed in through the ragged holes punched in the walls and the broken windows; Charming covered Snow with his body as best he could as it swirled around them, engulfing the room until he could barely see it. But Regina stood tall and proud in the eye of the Dark Curse, unmitigated triumph on her face.

"Where are you taking us?" Charming couldn't help asking as he watched their home, their entire land, be ripped to shreds around them.

"Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be mine." Regina lifted her arms high above her head, laughter pouring from her lips as the dark magic swooped in and enveloped them all.

He pressed his face into Snow's neck, holding her against him as tightly as he could manage. "I will always find you," Charming murmured into her cold skin, tears rolling down his cheeks, and then there was only darkness.

XXX

David Nolan twisted the key in the front door of the animal shelter, giving the knob a testing yank before pocketing his keys and heading to his truck. The old Ford thundered to life and he eased out onto Main Street, following the now familiar route to Storybrooke General. He parked in his usual space and fished his volunteer badge out of his coat pocket as he entered the building. The admitting nurse waved him through without even glancing up from her crossword puzzle, muttering a "Hi, David."

He called a greeting back as he hung his coat on the rack inside the office then pinned the badge to the breast pocket of his flannel button-down. David sighed and started down the hallway toward the rec area. He didn't like hospitals; the smell, the stillness…it made his skin crawl. But getting into a car accident that landed him in the hospital for three weeks would do that, he supposed. How long ago had it been? A year? Sometimes it seemed like twenty. He shook the thought off, plastering a smile on his face as he entered the rec room.

David's visits had quickly taken on a pattern in the weeks since he'd spotted the flyer asking for volunteers on the shelter's bulletin board: take a dive at checkers with lonely old Mr. Rogers, play hangman with Sarah until her mom showed up, then basically being a glorified gopher for Dr. Whale, who was never one to say no to free _anything_.

But David didn't care. Anything the hospital or Whale dished out was better than going home. His marriage vacillated between icy tolerance at best to seething frustration at worst. The night before he'd seen the volunteer flyer, Kathryn had tearfully begged him to attend couple's counseling with Dr. Hopper but he'd flatly refused. David didn't need a shrink to tell him what he already knew. Their marriage was on a downward slope but neither he nor Kathryn seemed to have the courage to take the final step and walk away. The love that'd been there before—and it had been love, he _remembered _ being in love with her before the accident—seemed to have evaporated like the memory of a dream, which was fitting because his memories of that time felt more like a dream than reality.

And yet…he _couldn't_ just walk away. He'd promised to spend his life with Kathryn when he married her, and David was a man that honored his promises. Maybe if he spent enough time at the hospital he could recapture what'd been lost after the accident, or at least that's what he told Kathryn when he'd started volunteering three nights a week.

David _was_ searching for something, he didn't know what, but the place that'd woken him up from the dream seemed as good a starting point as any.

Frowning at the direction his thoughts had taken—he was here to _stop_ thinking about things with Kathryn for a while, if he wanted to go over and over that he'd be on Dr. Hopper's couch—he raked a hand through his sandy hair in frustration and set off down the hallway on a run to the medical closet for Dr. Whale. But he was still so distracted that he took a wrong turn and almost ran headlong into a glass door. David jumped back, a shiver running down his spine at the words "Intensive Care Unit" emblazoned in white script on the door. He'd spent more than enough time in there, the scars on his left shoulder and side burning vengefully at the memory, and just as he backed up, his eyes landed on her.

She was the sole occupant of the room, tubes and wires crisscrossing her torso with half a dozen machines standing guard over her sleeping form. A spark of recognition flared in his mind and he found himself pressing closer to the glass instead of away, his hand reaching of its own volition for the door handle. David stepped inside, stopping at the foot of her bed and staring. She was beautiful to be sure, features a study in contrasts, and his brow wrinkled in confusion as he tried to place how he knew her. It was like wading through tar just to drudge the memory up, and even then it was only in bits and pieces, flashes.

_Blood. Pain. Distant voices. Light being shined in his eyes. His head fell to the side and there she was, face turned toward his but those gorgeous eyes of hers were shut. He tried to reach for her but his hand wouldn't budge. He opened his mouth to call out to her just as she was wheeled away from him, and he slipped back into the dark._

The accident. She'd been in the hospital the night of his accident. The realization smacked into him with a physical force and David reached out and caught the side of her bed to steady himself. Something was missing from the memory though, her hair wasn't right, the ultra-short cropped cut she had now paled in comparison to the riot of long, dark curls it should've been. His fingers itched with the phantom sensation of soft strands sliding through them.

He stepped closer, drawn as if by some unseen hand toward her…

"So this is where you disappeared to," Dr. Whale's voice shattered the moment and David jumped back as though he'd been burned, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. The blond doctor didn't seem to notice anything amiss and strode to the foot of the bed, retrieving her chart and making a few notations after consulting the machines. "I see you've met our Sleeping Beauty," he continued absently.

David shook his head, blue eyes never leaving her face. "Snow White."

"What?" Whale asked, glancing up at him in confusion.

"Hair black as ebony, lips red as blood, and skin white as snow." He gestured to the woman lying in the hospital bed, her features an exact match to the fairy tale. "She's more like Snow White."

Whale nodded and returned to the chart in his hand. "Yeah, well just don't kiss her. It won't wake her up and we'll all get sued."

"Wake her up?" His head shot toward the doctor at that.

"Yeah. She's a coma patient. Has been for as long as I can remember."

David turned back to her, feeling something inside him die a little. "I remember her. I saw her the night of my accident. What's her name?"

"We don't know. She's a Jane Doe, but I prefer Sleeping Beauty since it fit better. Snow White works just as well though," Whale replied, replacing her chart in the folder attached to the foot of the bed. He gestured for David to follow him out of the room, the younger man reluctantly complying.

"What happened to her?"

"She was found in the water under the toll bridge with internal injuries, no ID, and no one ever claimed her. We always assumed she jumped." The doctor shrugged and David had the sudden—although not unprecedented—urge to throttle him.

"Who found her?" David persisted instead, desperate to know as much as possible about this woman.

"That would be me," a new and familiar voice sounded behind him. Both men turned to see Mayor Regina Mills stroll toward them, a small bundle of white flowers in hand—_snow drops_, a voice whispered in the back of David's mind. "Dr. Whale," she nodded to the doctor then turned those dark eyes on him, "David, what are you doing here so late?"

He glanced down at his watch, realizing that his shift had ended half an hour ago. "Lost track of time. What brings you here, Madame Mayor?"

"It's Tuesday. I always visit our Jane Doe on Tuesdays. As her emergency contact, I'm the only one she has." Regina peered in through the glass, attempting to look somber but David could swear her lips twitched in a barely suppressed smirk.

"Right. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow, Dr. Whale," he began, backing down the hallway. "Mayor Mills." He nodded her a goodbye.

"David, I believe we've known each other long enough for you to call me Regina. Give my best to Kathryn." She smiled at him but it was off, too cold and calculating to be genuine.

He tried to shake the thought off as he walked back to the rec room, wondering yet again what the hell had possessed Kathryn to become best friends with Regina. His thoughts quickly returned to the Jane Doe, and the nagging sense that he knew her somehow. That they'd met before the accident. David gnawed on his lower lip in thought as he reached the rec area, already planning to visit her again tomorrow.

"David!"

His head shot up and a smile curled his lips at the small voice. "Hey, Henry!" David strode over to where the dark-haired boy sat in one of the chairs with a large, leather-bound book open on his lap. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed soon?"

"My mom brought me with her because I snuck out of the house the last time she left me by myself," Henry replied, not quite looking guilty so much as resigned to his fate.

"Do you want me to wait with you until she's done?"

The boy immediately brightened at that, nodding eagerly.

David dropped into the chair next to him, propping his elbows on his knees and glancing at the book on Henry's lap. "So what are we reading?"

"The story of Snow White and Prince Charming." Henry turned the book so David could see the drawing. It depicted Prince Charming kneeling over Snow White's glass coffin in a snowy wood, kissing her awake. "It's just like Jane Doe that my mom is visiting. She needs someone to wake her up. What are you doing here?" He looked up at the elder man in confusion.

"I was visiting Jane Doe too."

Henry's face lit up, just as it had at the sight of the wooden swords David had bought him for his last birthday. They'd chased each other all around the clapboard castle in the park with the swords for weeks until one mysteriously broke. David had offered to buy a replacement but Regina had demurred, giving a vague explanation about the toys being too dangerous. "You can wake her up! Just like Prince Charming!" Henry exclaimed, jabbing a finger at the drawing.

"Henry, I don't think that's how it works. She's hurt, not cursed," David explained gently.

But the boy was undeterred, flipping pages and all but shoving the book onto his lap. "Look, Prince Charming has a scar just like yours!" David perused the sketch of the prince and indeed there was a gash along the man's chin in the same spot as his scar from a drunken college dare. "And I've seen Jane Doe, she looks just like Snow! You're here because you're supposed to kiss her and wake her up."

David had just opened his mouth to reply when another voice beat him to it. "I thought you were heading home, David."

They both looked up to see Regina standing a few feet away, arms folded and dark eyes narrowed. Henry slipped the book off David's lap and put it as inconspicuously as possible into his backpack.

"I offered to keep Henry company until you came back," David answered as he stood, instinctively putting himself between her and her son.

"How sweet of you." She smiled automatically at him but it didn't reach her eyes. "Well, I'm here now, you can be on your way." Regina extended her hand to Henry and he reluctantly took it, gaze flicking to David's.

"See you later, Henry," he called, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Bye, David."

He watched Regina lead the boy outside, hands curling into fists at the tight grip she had on Henry's hand.

XXX

Regina's mouth was pinched into a thin line as she guided her Mercedes down the dark streets, Henry staring out the window beside her. She shot a glance to the backpack at his feet, thoughts on the book inside it. Things had changed ever since he'd brought that damn thing home. He'd pulled away from her, become quiet and secretive, and those mischievous tendencies she'd once loved in him had become intolerable. Sneaking out of the house, lying to her about where he was and what he was doing, she'd even caught him looking through her records a week ago much to her horror. But Regina reminded herself that it'd been a closed adoption, _she_ didn't even know who Henry's birth mother was, so it was highly unlikely he would ever find out.

Unless Gold told him, and the man knew better than to cross her.

That still left the book. Her heart had almost stopped in her chest when she'd rounded the corner and heard Henry telling David all about Snow White and Prince Charming. Thankfully, she'd been able to interrupt when she did, to keep Henry from shaking anything loose for the hapless animal shelter employee. Regina could admit to herself that she hadn't kept as close an eye on David as she probably should the last few years, but she could only watch him stare at his long-lost beloved so many times before growing bored of the routine. And motherhood, for all its joys, was time consuming. As was running an entire town.

But perhaps she should intercede just as she had with the wooden swords. It was amazing what a little pressure in just the right place could accomplish.

A grin twisted her lips as she pulled into her driveway. Henry bolted the minute the car came to a stop, slinging his bag over his shoulder and racing inside the house.

"Henry," she called once the front door had shut behind her. "We need to have a talk."

"I've got school in the morning," he hedged, pausing on the steps.

"It'll be quick." Regina gestured for him to come to her.

Henry reluctantly descended and when he was close enough she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I've spoken to Dr. Hopper about your behavior recently and he thinks that maybe we should make some changes."

"Like what?" he asked cautiously.

"You're spending an awful lot of time reading that book instead of interacting with real people. Maybe we should put the book away for a while. You are getting a little old for fairy tales," Regina replied, offering him a smile.

"What? No!" Henry exploded, jerking out of her grasp.

"It's just for a little while, and if your behavior improves maybe you can have it back."

"Mom, please…" he pleaded, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, Henry, but it's for your own good," Regina said, repeating the same mantra she'd adopted whenever she had to lie to him or when he turned those eyes up to her for something he wanted but shouldn't have. She reached for his backpack, unzipping it and pulling the book out. "I promise that if Dr. Hopper thinks you've improved we'll talk about you having it back." Regina ran a hand fondly through his hair, trying to soften the blow. But Henry pulled away from her and ran up the stairs, his bedroom door slamming behind him.

She cradled the book against her chest, a pang running through her at having to hurt her son, but, she reminded herself, it was for his own good.

XXX

David stared at the clock in the animal shelter, willing the hands to move faster and carry him from morning to night so he could return to the hospital and Jane Doe. He'd spent a sleepless night thinking about her, digging into his memory as best he could and coming up with nothing more than those few flashes. But surely a mere glimpse from over a year ago wouldn't inspire the intense connection he felt toward her. So immersed was he in his thoughts that he didn't notice he wasn't alone in the room until he heard his name be called. "David!"

He jumped, glancing down to find Henry standing at the counter. "Henry? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"You're going back to see Jane Doe today, right?" the boy panted, looking and sounding like he'd run all the way there.

"I'll see her when I volunteer after work," he replied carefully, not wanting to encourage Henry's overactive imagination.

"Here," he dug into his backpack, retrieving the leather-bound book from yesterday. "My mom took it away from me last night but I know where she keeps things she doesn't want me to find. Read Snow White and Prince Charming's story to Jane Doe when you see her tonight, it'll help her remember."

"Henry," David began, shaking his head, knowing this was a bad idea on so many levels.

"Please!" the boy pleaded, "Just read it to her, you don't have to do anything else!"

Looking into his big, desperate eyes, David found himself unable to refuse and he reached out and accepted the book. "Okay. I'll read it to her, I promise."

Henry gave him a huge grin and bounded around the counter to hug him. "Thanks, David!"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered good-naturedly, patting him on the back. "Now go to school. I'll swing by your house after and give this back."

"Deal! Bye!" Henry called over his shoulder as he bolted out the door.

David smiled after him and glanced down at the gold lettering on the cover, "_Once Upon a Time_," then placed the book carefully down behind the counter. Well, at least Henry wasn't demanding he kiss her, and after all what harm ever came from reading a book?

XXX

"I know this must seem a little strange," David began as he settled in the chair next to Jane Doe's bed in the ICU, the book open on his lap, "but I'm doing this for a friend, so please just bear with me."

The steady beep of the monitors in the background lulled him into a rhythm as he read aloud how Snow White stole Prince Charming's engagement ring, absently tracing his own scar as she sliced Charming's chin with a rock when he chased after her, and as the two parted ways in the forest with a promise to always find each other David couldn't help glancing up at her. She hadn't moved since he'd arrived, nor had the monitors changed, and he actually felt disappointed. Crazy as it was, Henry's belief that something would happen if he read to her had wedged itself in his brain somehow.

He was tempted to slam the book shut in frustration and call it a night, chalk the "connection" he thought he'd felt last night up to coincidence and wishful thinking, and leave—for tonight or for good, he wasn't sure—but sighed and resumed reading. He'd promised Henry he would read the story, and he kept his promises, for better or for worse.

David sighed and moved to a more comfortable position, propping his free arm on the bed rail as he continued. Only a few minutes had passed and he'd just gotten to the prince's letter to Snow, asking her to come to him before his wedding so that they could be together, when a hand settled over his own. His head shot up, staring at the pale hand wrapped over his own. Breathing hard, he set the book aside and slowly rose from the chair.

Her eyes were still shut and the rest of her body remained in the same position as it had when he'd entered the room, but her hand had moved of its own volition to his. The logical part of his brain knew he should go find Dr. Whale or at least a nurse, but David merely wrapped both hands around hers, that connection flaring to life again. He sat carefully on the bed beside her, desperate for any other sign of life but none came.

"Come on, give me a sign here," he whispered, staring from her face to the monitors and back. The steady beep was beginning to drive him mad and maybe that was what possessed him to lean closer.

_"I will always find you."_

_"Do you promise?"_

_"I'm not leaving you."_

_"What's twenty-eight years when you've got eternal love?"_

The words flitted through his mind and he clenched his eyes shut, a stabbing pain shooting through his temple. When he opened his eyes and looked down into her sleeping face, David threw caution to the wind and closed the remaining distance between them, never more sure that he knew this woman somehow. "Come back to me," he murmured just as his lips met hers, heart in his throat and conscience screaming about lawsuits, but all he could focus on was how much he wanted her to wake up. _Needed_ her to wake up.

The instant their lips touched something inside David shifted, or more accurately broke the surface. Charming, buried under twenty-eight years of fog and false memories, opened his eyes and stared into the face of his true love, his wife. Snow.

Seconds ticked by and he worried that she wasn't going to awaken, that the power of true love's kiss didn't work the same here as in their land, but then a sharp gasp sounded and those eyes fluttered open for the first time in twenty-eight years, green irises meeting his. She stared at him a moment, visibly disoriented, then she smiled, her free hand reaching out to trace the scar on his chin. "Charming, you found me…"

He let out a breathless laugh and hauled her into his arms, kissing every inch of her face he could reach. "Did you ever doubt I would?" he choked out, tears burning his eyes.

Snow tipped her head back, eyes shining with unshed tears, still trailing her hand over his face. "Never." She pressed her lips to his and he cupped her face in both hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "How long was I gone?" she asked when he drew back.

"Twenty-eight years."

Her eyes flew wide with shock and hope. "Emma?"

Charming frowned, shaking his head.

"Then how…How are we awake if she hasn't broken the curse?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, dear," Regina's voice, cold as ice, shattered the moment as she stormed into the room. "This little reunion won't last much longer."

Charming turned, shielding Snow with his body, instinctively reaching for a sword that was no longer there. He clenched his hand into a fist and glared at the former Evil Queen anyway, not about to let her take Snow away from him without a fight. Not again.

Regina smirked at him and it took everything he had not to fling himself at her and choke the very life from her with his bare hands. But he couldn't be sure what power she'd retained here and he wasn't going to risk leaving Snow at her stepmother's mercy.

"Nice to see you awake, Snow, dear. Your Charming there isn't nearly as much fun to torment as you are."

Snow's hands curled around his collar but she met Regina's gaze head-on, brave as the day he met her. "You're not going to win, Regina. The curse will break and when it does, you won't just answer to us for what you've done."

"Perhaps," she shrugged, slipping one hand into her coat pocket and retrieving a vial, "but right now…I'd say I'm winning." She held the tiny bottle up for them to see, the swirling dark green contents sending ice down Charming's spine.

"What is that?" Snow asked him, picking up on the tension in his body.

"Just a little bit of the Dark Curse I saved for a rainy day," Regina supplied with a smile. She threw the vial at their feet, laughing as it shattered on the floor and the familiar smoke spilled out.

He wrapped his arms tight around Snow, knowing that even if he fought now there was nothing he could do to stop this. Snow turned a teary green gaze up to him, clinging with surprising strength to his collar for how long she'd slept. "We'll find each other again," she vowed, voice resolute even as her chin trembled.

"Always," he breathed, crushing his lips to hers. Charming's heart broke in his chest at the thought of being torn away from her again, but as he'd told Snow before, he had faith. Emma would find them sooner rather than later and break the curse, and they would finally be whole again. Be a family.

"Don't bet on it," Regina sneered, watching the smoke curl up toward them. "As I told you before, dear, here the only happy ending will be _mine_."

XXX

David Nolan blinked in confusion, finding himself out in one of the chairs in the hallway with Regina standing over him. "How did I get here?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he shoved himself upright.

"You must've passed out after all the excitement of Jane Doe waking up," she informed him.

"She's awake?" David demanded, blue eyes wide.

"Dr. Whale's giving her an examination right now, but yes, she's awake."

"Can I see her?" He'd already stepped toward the door, but Regina caught his arm.

"That's not such a good idea. She's been through quite an ordeal already, you don't want to push her any further."

"Right." David nodded. "I'll just see her later then. Goodnight, Madame Mayor."

Regina smiled as she watched him walk down the hallway, then headed back into the ICU, motioning Dr. Whale over. "So how is our patient?" she immediately inquired, dark eyes boring into him.

"It's a bit of a miracle. She's doing remarkably well for having been comatose so long."

"And her memory?"

"She doesn't appear to have any significant memory loss at all. I'd say with a little physical rehab to offset the muscular atrophy she'll be just fine."

"Wonderful," Regina smiled but when he turned to go back to his patient she called out to him, "Oh, and Dr. Whale?"

"Yes?"

"See to it that David Nolan is removed from volunteer duty until she's been discharged, would you?" The look she gave him made it clear that this wasn't a request.

He nodded and scurried off, and Regina turned on her heel and strode from the room, a grin curling her lips. Yes, everything was going to go back to the way it should be, she thought, adjusting her purse over her shoulder to accommodate the large leather-bound book inside.

XXX

David jogged across the street to Granny's just as the clock tower struck 7:45 AM, wondering distantly when it'd been fixed as his eyes fell on a bright yellow VW bug parked in front of the diner. Weird, he didn't know anyone in town who owned a car like that…

As he got closer he noticed Henry standing beside it talking to a tall blonde in a bright red leather jacket. She was laughing at something the boy had said and didn't notice him until Henry called out to him, "Hey, David!"

"Morning, Henry. Aren't you going to be late for school?"

"Missed the bus," the boy replied innocently, and David was sure that'd been by design. "But I've got a ride." He smiled up at the woman.

"And you are?" David asked, staring at the blonde in confusion.

Her green eyes flew wide at the question and her mouth dropped open, bobbing soundlessly a moment. "I'm his—I'm his—Um, I'm Emma." She finally managed, thrusting a hand toward him with an embarrassed smile.

"Nice to meet you, Emma." He shook her hand, his heart giving a distinct tug at the name.

Henry looked back and forth between the two of them, positively beaming. "She's my mom," he supplied helpfully, garnering a mortified glance from Emma. "My birth mom, I mean," he clarified, still smiling.

David raised his eyebrows at her and she shrugged, barely able to suppress a grimace at Henry so easily blurting out what she hadn't even been able to say. "Hi."

He chuckled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, sure she could probably use all the encouragement she could get between Henry and Regina. "Welcome to Storybrooke then, Emma."

Relief washed over her face and she gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks. I won't be staying long though. Just a week." Emma put more emphasis on that last sentence than necessary and he couldn't tell if she was trying to convince him or herself that was how long she'd be staying—the grin on Henry's face seemed to imply he had every confidence to the contrary—but David didn't comment.

"I hope you enjoy your visit," he offered instead, nodding and releasing her hand. "You take good care of her, Henry." He clapped the boy on the shoulder and threw Emma a wave as he continued into Granny's.

"See you later, David!" Henry called.

"So who is he supposed to be?" David heard Emma ask over the tinkle of the bell above the door.

"Not sure you're ready for that yet," was the boy's cryptic reply.

David's brow wrinkled in confusion at that but it was short-lived as a dark blur crashed into his chest, knocking him back against the door.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking and—" her rapid apology cut off as those bright green eyes of hers met his, a surprised gasp pushing past her lips. The moment stretched, one mitten covered hand pressed to his heart and both of his hands steadying her shoulders, an alarmingly strong connection flaring, but then she caught herself staring and ducked her head, a blush coloring her pale cheeks.

David blinked, returning to himself as well, and reluctantly released her shoulders. "No harm done." He flashed her a smile.

She gave him a timid one in return, still not meeting his gaze.

"It's nice to see you up and about," he broke the awkward silence, and her green eyes lifted curiously to his, realization flitting across her features.

"You're the volunteer from the hospital, right? The one that was there when I woke up."

"Yeah, David Nolan." He held his hand out to her and she transferred her travel mug to her other hand to accept it.

"Mary. Um, Mary Margaret, actually," she stammered, then paused giving him an adorably self-deprecating grin. "I'm Mary Margaret Blanchard. Thank you for being there for me in the hospital. I'm glad I wasn't alone all that time."

"You're welcome," he managed thickly, watching the blush rise higher in her cheeks and realizing he still had hold of her hand. David reluctantly released it, an emerald ring glinting on her middle finger before she tugged her other mitten on over it, finding himself swallowing a sudden lump in his throat at the sight.

"Well, I have to go, it's my first day teaching at the school and I can't be late, but I'd love to buy you a coffee or hot chocolate some time. To say thanks," she tacked on quickly, eyes flicking none too subtly to his wedding band.

"That'd be great." David smiled back, balling his left hand into a fist.

She gave him a wave then retreated outside and down the street, but when she glanced back at him through the window only to quickly look away, David felt like he'd finally found what he'd been searching for.

Thanks for reading!

SassySnow1988


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